Today, the entire Bibel lab was finally here at the same time. And, my chemicals order arrived! It was a lot of fun! More about the Bibel lab and what we do at LMU: bibellab.lmu.build

AKTA flow paths and injection valve modes – controlling the plumbing on an FPLC! youtu.be/Wn0dRwwocOc

Putting the chrom- in size exclusion chromatography (SEC) standards! Today we ran gel filtration standards on our size exclusion chromatography (SEC) column. And a couple of them (vitamin B12 and myoglobin) are colored! youtube.com/shorts/981nO...

Running size exclusion chromatography (practical look at running gel filtration on an AKTA PURE) youtu.be/KJ4v1FwfyP4

The keys to connecting a SEC (Size Exclusion Chromatography)/Gel Filtration column to an FPLC: don't let in air; don't let the column get dry; don't let the pressure get too high. youtu.be/o0ya3EpM86o

Mind the gaps! Beware parts of the model may not be there! Scientists build structural models into experimental maps. Sometimes the experimental data is not strong enough in places, so the model has gaps! youtu.be/Vl_jcEx3jS4

As I've begun building my lab and introducing students to protein purification, seeing their excitement, it's really hit home how incredible proteins are and how immense a privilege it is to get to explore them. I love feeling that I'm empowering my students with skills that can take them far.

I have a feeling this desalting column is going to be one of the best uses of my start-up money! No more dialysis?! youtu.be/7Hn2_VtmFEo

Minipreps (alkaline lysis)! A practical guide to what goes on in each of the steps youtu.be/HLhazQZcZog

First mini preps of the Bibel lab @LMU! And first mini preps ever for Korina! She got great yields! She also helped me record a demo video for my students in next semester’s lab so stay on the lookout for a new miniprep tutorial video! bit.ly/minipreps

Lab tips for syringe-filtering largish volumes and color-coding antibiotics youtu.be/N3zbRbjeSN4

Why are P10s such a rarity?

Some tips for resuspending, diluting, & working with DNA & RNA oligos youtu.be/-EXdn8Zkgj8

This video covers basic navigation and features, and using Uniprot and PDB in combination with PyMOL to find and show a protein with key residues in stick. youtu.be/CeTTmm5DI_k

Hemoglobin part 1: Cooperative binding, allostery and 2,3-BPG (including role in altitude and HbF) youtu.be/Y4gaUbIcsvA

It’s been a great but exhausting first 3 weeks of my first semester as an Assistant Professor at LMU!

Biochemistry study guide/outline #1, Fall 2025 Adapted from one I give my students to help them focus on core concepts so they can apply them Shared in case it can help anyone PDF: drive.google.com/file/d/1PFCN...

Today, we took secondary structure to the next level!

Here’s an extended version of a lecture I gave my students yesterday introducing them to a whirlwind of biochemistry techniques they might hear about and/or come across in the primary literature articles they are analyzing over the course of the semester youtu.be/xR4Y3mj1EgU

Today I got to introduce Korina (and another student from my class who was interested) to SLIC (Sequence and Ligation Independent Cloning). So excited we're starting to plan out some experiments I've been itching to do! Here's more on SLIC: bit.ly/SLICworkflow

This is just a random (for others) picture from office hours of a strategy for figuring out protonation status in pKa problems that students found helpful so thought I’d share. You can do similar with pI and charge instead of protonation.

A few more nonfiction science books I recently read to recommend before I forget in the whirlwind of undergraduate faculty life! bit.ly/bbbookrecs

Yesterday in class, I got to do one of my favorite activities with students–using Pauling and Ingram's classic sickle cell hemoglobin experiments to reinforce concepts of pH, pKa, pI, and IMFs. bit.ly/paulingingram

Developing an intuitive sense for pH and pKa, acid vs basic amino acids – with cookie monsters! YouTube: youtu.be/F1rPvrNe9Y8

My samples arrived safely from my prior lab!!!! Precious purified proteins, glycerol stocks, plasmids, and more all nice and safe in the -80°C freezer or 20°C freezer as appropriate. HUGE thanks to Dr. Karen Ruff at SMC for shipping them to me, FedEx for not losing them, and Mary Johnson here

When students are confused about the hydrophobic effect, magnet sheets to the rescue! youtu.be/K1KgnZfEvjw

Welcome Korina to the Bibel lab!

Welcome Alice to the Bibel Lab @ LMU! I promise most days will be more fun than taking inventory! (though finding a retro “pipet controller” box gave us a nice laugh :) Huge thanks to Dr. Sarah Mitchell for leaving us some of her old supplies!

Welcome Alice to the Bibel Lab @ LMU! I promise most days will be more fun than taking inventory! (though finding a retro “pipet controller” box gave us a nice laugh :) ).

Wednesday, I'm planning to have my students adopt amino acids and have them make friends (find other amino acids they can form favorable IMFs (intermolecular forces) with). They’ll also have to navigate around amphiphilic playgrounds. So grateful for my job!

The Henderson-Hasselbalch equation relates pKa and pH. It's great for things like determining "how much" of an acid is protonated at a certain pH and/or how much conjugate acid vs conjugate base to mix together to make a buffer of a certain pH. But it can cause confusion when you go to use it...

One of the privileges of being an undergraduate biochemistry professor is introducing students to the wonders of Zotero! Here’s a longer/modified version of a guide I gave them. drive.google.com/file/d/18NW9...

1 week of Assistant Professor-ing down! And we ended with getting my students started on their article analysis projects, where they investigate the connection between a genetic mutation, a problematic protein, and a disease or disorder.

Intermolecular forces (IMFs), water, H-bonds, and the hydrophobic effect (water exclusion effect) (with typos hopefully fixed, sorry!) youtu.be/VoIxAmcMsb8

Today in class, we talked functional groups and intermolecular forces. Knowing functional groups is critical to grasping the intermolecular forces (IMFs) helping give macromolecules like proteins their unique 3D shapes and allowing them to reversibly bind to other things....

I’m so proud to be a part of this OER that aims to lower the barrier for professors to incorporate molecular modeling & visualization into their courses (i.e. teaching students to interact w/3D models of proteins & other macromolecular structures &/or making custom figures)! doi.org/10.15781/m4z...

Thank you to all at LMU for a supportive first day of classes! I’m truly looking forward to teaching the students I met (and those I haven’t yet) and working with the faculty and staff to help us all have a great semester and beyond!

A starter's guide to biochemistry: resources, strategies, etc… Just in time for the start of the school semester! Because biochemistry shouldn't be scary! bit.ly/biochemistry...

Found this really helpful video for making interactive video quizzes with H5P www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTe7...

Can’t believe classes start Monday. But can’t believe more that I’m an Assistant Professor!!!! So grateful, excited, and (of course) nervous. Here's to a hopefully great semester. I feel that even if it's hard I've found a community of support here and am so grateful

I cannot stress enough how helpful it is to learn word parts – so much of the time you can figure out what scary looking jargon means just by knowing your prefixes, suffixes, & roots! youtu.be/i3EYjveeGl4

The name's bond. Peptide bond. And my influence on protein folding takes primary structure beyond! Protein secondary structure and peptide bonds youtu.be/A8TBwDxr6I0

Weak acids in biochemistry: pH, pKa, pI, protein charge, and acidic vs. basic amino acids youtu.be/HnmuGTHW3dg

I forgot to share this one I read a couple weeks ago (I’ve been a bit preoccupied)… Inside the Orphan Drug Revolution: The Promise of Patient-Centered Biotechnology by James Geraghty, 2022 bit.ly/bbbookrecs

I’ve been taking advantage of the end of the summer and the end of my unpacking to pack in listening to a few more books. I really enjoyed this one and learned a lot: The End of the Beginning: Cancer, Immunity, and the Future of a Cure by Michael Kinch, 2019. bit.ly/bbbookrecs

First official day as an Assistant Professor at LMU – guess it's time for an updated about me video :) . . . youtu.be/07WnMfBEd6k

Welcome to the wonderful, watery world of biochemistry! youtu.be/J1mPlNBRoQM

Much of biochemistry involves the interplay between biomolecular form & function. Proteins have unique structures that come mainly from their unique combinations of amino acid building blocks. So get to know them! youtu.be/D4shm1sS0Cg

I’m looking into purchasing a couple multichannel pipets and trying to do it as cheaply as possible without sacrificing accuracy and precision. Does anyone have suggestions for trusty refurbished sites, brands, etc.? Thanks in advance

I’m so excited to get to again use one of the protein-purifying machines I spent so much time working with in grad school (an AKTA Pure FPLC)! youtu.be/iDVkIlh75eY